How to bring cortisol down after 60
Cortisol is supposed to be high in the morning and low at night. If yours is still up at ten in the evening, almost everything that fixes it happens between supper and bed.
Dr. Martin on sleep:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039So the biggest factor in sleep is cortisol.
He says it, then says it again in the next breath, which is how he flags the spine of an episode. He is careful with the word though. High cortisol is the primary cause of sleep disruption, not the only cause.
And he is not gloomy about it. There is a lot of hope, he says, but you have to be proactive. Which is hard when you are dragging yourself around on four hours. Start in the kitchen, is his line.
What cortisol is supposed to do in a day
Most women over 60 have only ever heard cortisol described as the stress hormone. He wants that corrected first.
Dr. Martin on what cortisol is:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039Cortisol isn't only a stress hormone, it works with the circadian rhythm.
It wakes you up. That is a job, and it is a job you want done. Cortisol is a good guy, he says. Cortisol is on your side until it is not.
So the curve is the thing, not the hormone.
Dr. Martin on the curve:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039And as the day progresses, cortisol is going downwards and then after supper and it's starting to sink like the Titanic, at least that's what should happen.
At least that is what should happen. For about 70 per cent of the population, he says, it does not, and they simply do not get a good night's sleep.
One aside from the same passage, because it saves a lot of worry. He does not like people testing their blood sugar first thing in the morning. Of course it is up. Your body is waking you up, and cortisol is doing it. He calls it the least interesting time of day to take that number.
Why it stays high, and what that costs
Here is the cost, and it is the one that makes women over 60 feel like they are failing at something.
Dr. Martin on cortisol and insulin:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039And if cortisol is high, insulin is high even without eating.
Read that twice. You can eat nothing and still have insulin up, because cortisol is holding it there. And with insulin resistance present, he says, losing weight is almost impossible without getting the hormones under control first.
So the woman who is eating carefully, walking every day and not losing a pound is not imagining it. The lever she needs is at nine at night, not on the plate.
Start with morning light
His number one is not a supplement. Get in the sun.
Light in the morning is what sets the clock that cortisol runs on. Get the morning right and the evening has a chance. Skip it and you are asking a rhythm with no starting gun to finish on time.
He is not precious about the weather either. He was recording in the middle of a Calgary cold snap when he said it. Cold does not stop light.
Magnesium, the relax mineral
Two of his evening items are the same mineral by two routes. A hot bath or shower about an hour before bed with Epsom salts, which are magnesium salts. And magnesium itself.
Dr. Martin on magnesium:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039Anytime you hear the word magnesium, think of the word relax because that's what magnesium does.
It relaxes your muscles. It relaxes the body. He says magnesium does about 300 things, that it is not the only salt that matters, and that he loves it anyway. The clinic shop carries a Magnesium Bisglycinate if you want it in a capsule rather than a bath.
One more from his list, and it caused an argument at home. Keep the bedroom cool. He practises what he preaches, he says, and informs his wife it is what is best for her. That went over exactly as well as you would expect.
Do not train hard at night
Dr. Martin on evening exercise:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1039If you got trouble sleeping, don't go exercising at night.
Avoid high intensity before bed. Nothing high intensity, he repeats.
And straight after it, the exception, so take it with the rule. You might go for a walk. That is different. An evening walk is not what he is warning you off.
Caffeine, and his own caveat
He warns you before he says it, because he knows who he is talking to. Block your ears, he says. You are going to say Dr. Martin is not really saying this.
Stop drinking coffee.
Then, immediately, his own asterisk. Except for decaffeinated. Decaf you can drink. He puts the caveat on himself in the same breath, and it would be dishonest to quote the first half without the second.
What good sleep is actually for
With a proper amount of sleep the body cycles in and out of deep sleep and REM. That cycling is the point. It is not time unconscious, it is the window where the repair work gets done, and short nights cut the window rather than shortening the rest evenly.
Miss it long enough and he says the immune system has a tendency to tank, which is when you find yourself catching everything going around. Add the insulin problem from earlier and you have the two costs he keeps naming.
So the order is simple enough to start tonight. Light in the morning. Nothing hard and nothing caffeinated late. A cool room, a hot bath, magnesium. Then let the curve do what it is built to do.
Common questions
How do you lower cortisol naturally after 60?
Dr. Martin's list starts with morning sunlight to set the rhythm, then magnesium, then keeping high intensity exercise and caffeine out of the evening. A cool bedroom and a hot bath with Epsom salts about an hour before bed are on it too.
When is cortisol supposed to be highest?
In the morning. It climbs to wake you up, comes down through the day, and after supper he says it should be sinking like the Titanic.
Why can't I lose weight when I am not sleeping?
Because cortisol elevates insulin. If cortisol is high, he says insulin is high even without eating, and losing weight with insulin resistance present is close to impossible.
Does magnesium help you sleep?
He ties magnesium to one word, relax. It relaxes the muscles and it relaxes the body, and he says it does about 300 things. He is a fan without making it the only answer.
Can I drink coffee if I have trouble sleeping?
He says stop drinking coffee, then puts his own asterisk on it straight away: except decaffeinated. Decaf is allowed.
Read next: When Is Cortisol Highest? The Daily Cortisol Curve After 60 and Cortisol Levels In Women Over 60: Do You Need The Test?.
Cortisol, from the clinic shop
Cortisol Control Formula is the formula the clinic shop sells for cortisol. The evening habits on this page come first, and it sits behind them.
60-day money-back guarantee. Sleep problems have other causes too. Talk to your practitioner about anything persistent, and about anything you are prescribed.These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your healthcare practitioner before starting a new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
